2.2 Delivery and Design

The evaluation also assesses a number of delivery and design issues including the implementation of the Action Plan; the roles of the WD regional coordinators; the WD participation to the National Committee for Canadian Francophonie Human Resources Development (Comité national de développement des ressources humaines de la francophonie canadienne¹ ); and the delivery of and consultation for the Action Plan.

2.2.1 Implementation

WD Respondents

Respondents were asked to what degree that the Plan was implemented as planned. Most respondents from WD agreed that the implementation was conducted as expected. One respondent explained this by the fact that the Secretary of State had made this a high priority. WD received good feedback from the communities during the implementation of the plan, according to a respondent.

One of the key dimensions of the Plan was the core funding to FEDOs. This was implemented as planned and respondents agree that this is a key instrument in providing business services to Francophones. It filled a void since the Department of Canadian Heritage's programs mostly focus on culture prior to WD's Action Plan.

According to some respondents, a number of changes were made and new partners got involved during implementation. For example, the FEDOs were integrated and harmonized with PCH's Interdepartmental Partnership with the Official Language Communities program (IPOLC). FEDOs were instrumental in identifying community needs and projects for that program. A WD respondent also noted that certain changes to the Plan were made to include a certain delegation of WD's responsibilities with regards to service delivery to business.

Stakeholders

Many stakeholders could not say to what degree the Plan was implemented as planned. Those who did generally agreed that the implementation was conducted as expected overall.

FEDO Respondents

Overall, FEDO representatives agree that the Plan was implemented as planned.

2.2.2 Roles and Responsibilities of Coordinators

WD regional coordinators (1 per WD region) play a key delivery role in the Action Plan. The evaluation assessed this role by asking respondents 1) what should be the role of the coordinators; 2) are they playing this role; and 3) do they have adequate resources to play this role.

All Respondents

According to respondents, the regional coordinators are expected to play the following roles:

Playing a champion and advocacy role within the Department;
Communicating and explaining Section 41 to Department and communities;
Spreading best practices within the Department;
Playing a supporting role to the FEDOs;
Being aware and sensitive to community needs; and
Connecting/liaising role with the communities and other governments.

WD Respondents

One WD respondent noted that, although the Action Plan does not cover Part IV of the Official Languages Act (OLA) that deals with language of government communication and services, many community stakeholders expect that the FEDOs help meet that legal requirement. This confusion is sometimes challenging for the coordinators as they liaise with community members: the latter sometimes expect the FEDOs to play a role in the delivery of bilingual government services.

When asked about the support provided to the coordinators by WD, a majority of respondents agreed that the coordinators were supported in their roles. One respondent said that senior officers support the Plan and that this helps the coordinators. Some projects were extremely well supported, such as the Corridor touristique ("ADMs rant and rave about it"). Some offices are also actively supporting the coordinators, such as the Alberta Office, that gathers information and training materials in French on succession planning for rural businesses. Another example is the BC office that has helped develop an E-business CD ROM in French as a resource for francophone businesses.

According to a WD respondent, however, some of the department's staff remain to be convinced that this WD responsibility (Section 41) is important, although attitudes are progressively changing. One respondent also thought that there is not enough leadership and support from senior management at the national level. Working in an organization that has limited bilingual capacity is also a challenge in itself.

FEDO Respondents

It was mentioned that the Coordinator's role should be clearly defined to ensure community commitment.

Two FEDO respondents mentioned how Coordinators are struggling with the heavy workload. A number of WD respondents confirm this. One WD respondent explained that the coordinators do not work full-time in this area and that their workload as coordinators is actually higher than what it is supposed to be. Theoretically, 65 percent of their time is set aside for this role. Another WD respondent said that s/he responds to weekly inquiries either from the francophone community or internally to assist departmental staff in appropriate mechanisms to communicate with French language clients. Another WD respondent noted that OLA activities are blended in other projects, which makes it difficult to assess where OLA-time starts and ends. The respondent recommends that some OLA functions be integrated in WD job descriptions. More time would allow the Coordinators to be present in the Francophone communities and would help to promote a better understanding of Section 41.

Most of the FEDO respondents thought that the coordinators could benefit from more support. Apart from one representative, all said that senior members of WD could bring more support. One thought that the Department is not convinced of the importance of the FEDOs or of the Section 41 file.

2.2.3 Role of WD

As for WD, a number of federal Departments are expected to play a role in meeting the objectives set in Section 41 of the Act. These include the Department of Canadian Heritage, Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC), Health Canada, Justice Canada, Industry Canada and other organizations. Interview respondents were asked to what degree they thought WD has a continuous, proactive role in collective, federal department activities regarding Francophone communities of western Canada.

WD Respondents

Respondents from WD all agreed that WD works closely with other Departments, taking leadership on some projects. One respondent said that there are ongoing activities ("OLA was never off the agenda"). There are interdepartmental committees, regular conference calls, monthly and quarterly meetings, and collaborative projects. PCH (through the Interdepartmental Partnership for the Official Languages Communities program) and WD have collaborated on a dozen projects with Francophone communities. There are regular monthly and quarterly meetings. WD also works closely with FEDOs and federal departments to reduce duplications and increase collaboration. MOUs are signed with other federal departments. Information and services are also exchanged between departments.

Stakeholders

Most stakeholders agreed that WD plays a proactive role. One respondent mentioned WD's participation in the Comité national de développement des ressources humaines de la francophonie canadienne. However, in his view, the Department does not have a high profile and the influence of the Department lies mainly with the level of the individual that represents it.

FEDO Respondents

Representatives from two FEDOs agreed that WD plays a very proactive role with departments such as HRSD. Two other respondents, however, felt that WD has not been as proactive as expected. They said that WD, as well as other departments, could play a larger role in their province. Another mentioned that, although WD is an important partner among the federal departments, it could be more active in representing Western Canada community's needs.

2.2.4 National Committee for Canadian Francophonie Human Resources Development

WD actively participates in the National Committee for Canadian Francophonie Human Resources Development (Comité national de développement des ressources humaines de la francophonie canadienne). Respondents were asked to what degree WD coordinators have been able to prioritize issues and bring them to the Committee.

Only WD representatives provided answers to this question. Most respondents agreed that priorities areas have been identified (two mentioned these as been rural development, youth, knowledge-based industries and tourism). These are brought to the national table. In Manitoba, it is felt that the FEDO (CDEM) has had a huge impact on the priorities established at the national level. One respondent felt that the priorities are not always transferable/applicable to the regions. Another felt that the priorities are not really community based, contrary to some projects such as "Corridor touristique" and "Visions".

2.2.5 Consultation and Delivery of Action Plan

Consultations were conducted to develop the Action Plan and the intention was that the Plan be communicated and distributed. Respondents were asked to what degree the Plan was provided to key stakeholders and feedback solicited.

WD Respondents

Most respondents agreed that consultations were conducted ("they made a real effort to involve key stakeholders and the community"). While it was impossible to consult every member of the community, the community leaders received the Action Plan before it was finalized. In B.C. the consultation process was a bit more problematic because they had to bring representatives of different groups together. Respondents said that this took a lot of time and relationship-building, but it was successful.

All WD respondents but one agreed that the Plan was widely distributed. The Plan was distributed through the Internet, copies were sent to senior officials and feedback was solicited according to respondents. One mentioned that copies were sent every year. Only one respondent felt that the Plan was not well distributed, at least at the beginning.

Stakeholders

The strong majority of stakeholders (among those who felt comfortable to answer) agreed that the Action Plan was well distributed. One stakeholder said that PCH helped by providing a distribution list (interest groups, community groups, Commissioner of Official Languages). This helped ensure that the plans were disseminated to key stakeholders. The Plan was sent by email to key representatives who were asked to provide feedback on it. PCH, Industry Canada and WD have put the WD Action Plan on their respective web sites.

FEDO Representatives

FEDO representatives were also asked if they were aware of the consultations (even though the FEDO organizations did not yet have their designation when the preliminary versions of the Action Plan were distributed). Representatives from three of the FEDOs (Alberta, BC and Saskatchewan) said that their organizations (CEA, SDE and CCS) were not consulted. Manitoba representatives said their organization was consulted.

¹ In 1997, the government of Canada and the Francophone and Acadian communities living in minority established the Comité national de développement des ressources humaines de la francophonie canadienne (CNDRHFC) to develop links between them. The mandate of the committee is to promote economic development, entrepreneurship and new employment opportunities in francophone and Acadian communities outside Quebec. After establishing a Strategic Plan in 1999, the CNDRHFC implemented four co-ordinating groups on economic development and employability (Regroupements de développement économique et d'employabilité). The CNDRHFC's four priority sectors: rural development, the knowledge-based economy, the integration of youth in economic development, and tourism.

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